Leopards have many ways of avoiding competition from larger predators, especially lions. One method is to find a tree and climb to safety. Leopards will also tree their kills to eliminate the possibility of hyenas muscling in and stealing the bounty. Unfortunately, in this case where a large male leopard had killed a young kudu, he hadn’t managed to haul it to safety, and paid the price.
On our way back to camp mid-morning, our tracker spotted the carcass in the lower branches of an acacia tree – seconds later, we noticed a young male lion lying nearby. The lion got to his feet and set off in the direction of the treed kill, and continued past for about fifty metres before stopping once more and sniffing eagerly. He turned back and followed the scent of the carcass, draped in the lower fork of the tree. It was obvious that the leopard had hastily lifted his kill into this tree, perhaps as a result of being rushed by hyenas and having to find the nearest option as quickly as possible. The carcass was just a few metres above the ground, and the lion wasted little time in springing up to grab it effortlessly before settling down to enjoy the free meal.
This is a perfect example of how lions (and many other predators) make the most of every opportunity to scavenge another’s prey. We had been watching him feed for several minutes, when suddenly his mood changed and his furiously swishing tail let us know that he had had enough of us being there. This quickly escalated into low, deep growling followed by more tail swishing and a short explosive roar, coupled with a stare that only these big cats can deliver when they are irritated. It was our cue to leave, and we slowly reversed out of the area, leaving him to his meal. A good reminder that these animals tolerate us most of the time but when they say they’ve had enough, it’s best to listen!